Smith dethroned as No.1 Test batsman

AB de Villers leapfrogs the Aussie captain by the smallest of margins to regain top spot

cricket.com.au
10 November 2015

South Africa's AB de Villiers has dethroned Australia captain Steve Smith as the world's No.1 ranked Test batsman following the latest release of the official International Cricket Council player ratings on Tuesday.

Smith's output of 48 and 1 in the first Commonwealth Bank Test against New Zealand at the Gabba saw him fall 20 rating points to 890, while de Villiers’ scores of 63 and 16 against India in Mohali earned him the one point needed to pip the Australian skipper.

While Smith fell a spot, two of the batting stars from Brisbane surged up the rankings, with Black Caps No.3 Kane Williamson climbing two spots to crack the top five and dynamite opener David Warner also moving up two places to seventh.

WATCH: Warner blasts brutal second century in Brisbane

Joe Burns' first-innings 71 and maiden Test century of 129 lifted him a whopping 56 places to 47th in the world, with teammate Adam Voges creeping up five positions to sit in 44th.

The top seven is log jammed, with only 44 points separating the top seven batsman.

On the bowling side, Mitchell Starc has earned a career-high ranking of 13, a jump of seven places, following match figures of 6-126 at the Gabba.